Education

The U.S. Defense Department will award $167 million in research funding to academic institutions as part of the department’s Multidisciplinary University Research Initiative (MURI). During the next five years, 24 awards will be issued through the program to support multidisciplinary basic research, which will be conducted by teams of investigators that intersect more than one traditional science and engineering discipline.

Researchers working on multiple projects in Europe and the United States are using cloud computing to teach robotic systems to perform a multitude of tasks ranging from household chores to serving hospital patients and flipping pancakes. The research, which one day could be applied to robotic systems used for national defense, homeland security or medical uses, lowers costs while allowing robots to learn more quickly, share information and better cooperate with one another.

U.S. Army leaders of the Brigade Modernization Command (BMC) at Fort Bliss, Texas, supported middle and high school students vying for top spots in the fields of science and technology during a recent competition. Brig. Gen. John W. Charlton, USA, commanding general of the BMC, lent support by providing soldiers from his command to help judge the first 5-STAR Innovation Cup science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) competition.

High school students from six schools across the nation will split $50,000 in scholarships after competing in the CyberPatriot VI competition, a culminating tournament in which participants tested strategies to defend computers and networks against cyber attacks. CyberPatriot kicked off in November with roughly 1,600 students from all 50 states and wrapped up March 29, 2014.

A competition for student programmers will recognize the importance of other disciplines and focus areas than the ones commonly associated with science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM), such as art (design), diversity and digital literacy. “Dream it. Code it. Win it.” is organized by MIT and TradingScreen and will award more than $50,000 in scholarships and prizes to winners of the competition.

Florida State University (FSU) has received more than $14 million in grants to create a program that will provide focused training, resources and support to science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) teachers. FSU’s Florida Center for Research in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (FCR-STEM) and its partners are creating FCR-STEMLearn with the new grants from the Florida Department of Education.

The Systems Engineering Research Center (SERC) led by Stevens Institute of Technology has received a $60 million, five-year IDIQ renewal contract from the U.S. Defense Department. With this second five-year contract, the SERC will extend or introduce 11 long-term research programs in four research thrusts: Enterprises and Systems of Systems; Trusted Systems; Systems Engineering and Systems Management Transformation; and Human Capital Development.

The Systems Engineering Research Center (SERC) led by Stevens Institute of Technology has received a $60 million, five-year IDIQ renewal contract from the U.S. Defense Department. With this second five-year contract, the SERC will extend or introduce 11 long-term research programs in four research thrusts: Enterprises and Systems of Systems; Trusted Systems; Systems Engineering and Systems Management Transformation; and Human Capital Development.

NASA has selected 10 education organizations to share approximately $7.7 million in grants with the hope of attracting more students to science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) careers. The money will go toward interactive exhibits, virtual worlds, professional development activities and community-based programs.

Physical movement stored as memory in a microchip could lead to advances in touch screens, robot control devices and medical implants. Researchers are arraying nanowires on a microchip to form a write-read memory cell as part of ongoing work that could convert motions, such as a hand in a glove or pressing a display, into memory. Moving or putting pressure on the nanowires creates an electrical current that can be read and recorded as memory.

The third Abu Dhabi Science Festival runs this year from November 14 to 23, with more than 25,000 students expected to attend. The children will participate in workshops, shows and interactive exhibits that will expose them to various scientific disciplines.

The bottom line is that today's military structure is not set up to foster creative solutions and incorporate them into the bureaucracy, but a revolution quietly erupted in October. More than 80 innovators came together to discuss their ideas about how to solve some of the military's most vexing problems.

Johns Hopkins University Applied Research Laboratory (JHU/APL) University Affiliated Research Center (UARC), Laurel, Md., is being awarded a $9,000,000 indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract to provide technologies for the interdiction of chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear and high-yield explosive material. This effort will support the nation’s weapons of mass destruction-related counterforce, consequence assessment, defeat, and arms control objectives.

On October 7, AFCEA will launch the first Cycle for STEM fundraising ride. A team of 20 cyclists will leave Pittsburgh on a 335-mile, six-day ride to Washington, D.C., to raise funds for AFCEA science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) educational programs.

AFCEA International’s Corporate Member Only Forum will focus on current and future cybersecurity staff needs. A panel of experts will discuss what it takes to ensure network security through knowledge. Dr. Earnest McDuffie lead for the National Initiative for Cybersecurity Education, National Institute of Standards and Technology, will moderate the discussion.